1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to improvements in smokers' pipes, and more particularly, to smokers' pipes of the type which include self-contained tobacco ignition means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the tobacco pipe art, many attempts have been made to provide a heating or igniting element within the bowl of the pipe so that matches, lighters, and other tobacco ignition means separate from the pipe are not required. For example, an early embodiment of a pipe with a contained heating element is shown in Fulton, U.S. Pat. No. 1,157,771, which shows an ordinary pipe having a heating element extending through a bottom portion of a tobacco receiving bowl, adapted to be connected to an electrical source.
A more recent development upon the self-contained ignition means within a pipe bowl is shown by Yow-Jiun Hu, U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,723, in which both a heating element and a rechargeable battery are self-contained within the bowl of the pipe. The rechargeable battery is recharged between use by mating contacts presented in a pipe stand, the contacts being connectable to a wall outlet or other source of electrical energy. Another embodiment of a pipe with a self-contained electrical ignition element is shown by Lane, Canada Pat. No. 457,450, which discloses a unique pipe configuration in which the tobacco is removed from the area in which it is burned, after it has been consumed, to avoid some of the problems Lane describes as undesirable when the smoke travels through unburned tobacco.
In the pipes of the above described type in which a self-contained heating element is provided, one problem which is of considerable concern is the large amount of heat which is generated by the igniting element. This problem is particularly acute when the igniting element is located near the base or bottom of the tobacco receiving bowl, such as in the embodiments advanced by Fulton and Yow-Jiun Hu. One reason for the relatively high heat encountered in such pipes is that at the bottom of the bowl, less oxygen exists to take part in the combustion of the tobacco, and that which does exist must be drawn through the unburned tobacco packed above it within the bowl. (This is in contradistinction to the ordinary pipes which are ignited and burned from the top from which the ashes are either removed or packed during the smoking process, and in which the oxygen is in relatively plentiful supply.) Therefore, for combustion and consumption of the tobacco, ordinarily the igniting element must be operated for longer time periods than matches or conventional lighters, and, also, much greater burning temperatures are required.
The high temperatures encountered present several problems to the smoker. First, the pipe itself becomes hot and is difficult to handle for prolonged periods of use. Also, the briar from which the pipe is made tends to become charred or burned, reducing the useful lifetime of the pipe, and, in some instances, imparting an undesirable taste to the tobacco smoker.
Another problem caused by the relatively high temperatures is that the smoke produced is itself of rather high temperature, which can cause heat bite to the smoker's tongue, and which is otherwise undesirable.